Traveling to Florida is far beyond Disney parks, you can have fun in state parks, dazzling nature and its beautiful lakes, as well as fishing, picnics, boating and much more. Today we are going to share with you some of the main parks in Florida.
How many parks are there in Florida?
- 114 state parks
- 5 State Forests
- State Memorial
- 17 state historic sites
- 3 State Reserves
- 19 state reserves
- 4 national parks
- 3 National Forests
- 2 National Memorials
- national historic landmark
- national monument
- 20 National Wildlife Refuges
- National Coast
Big Cypress National Preserve
Among the swamps of Florida, you can enjoy camping!
The Big Cypress is part of all the flora and fauna of the Everglades, with rich wildlife diversity, even endangered animals like the Florida Panther.
That's over 295,000 hectares of swamp.
The park has a camping area with picnic tables and restrooms. In addition, you can enjoy hiking, fishing and exploring the trails.
How to get to Big Cypress National Preserve
Check it out on the map:
Ocala National Forest
Ocala is one of the most enchanting places in Florida, its blue waters are fascinating and attract visitors from all over the world.
To go to the park there is not a single entrance, there are several parks that are part of the Ocala Forest.
There are parks in Ocala where you can find manatees, blue crabs, fish and a huge variety of birds.
A curiosity about the waters of the Ocala parks: they are generally very icy. The ideal is to choose a hot sunny day.
In some parks in Ocala it is possible to rent a kayak or canoe, below I will put the average prices:
Single Kayak Rental – Ocala:
- US$ 20 for two hours
- US$ 30 for four hours
- US$ 40 for all day
Kayak or Tandem Canoe Rental – Ocala:
- US$ 30 for two hours
- US$ 40 for four hours
- US$ 50 for all day
alexander springs
This park is really beautiful! It has a slope similar to the edge of the beach, with white sand and then the perfection of blue water.
The park has good infrastructure with a camping site, barbecue grills, picnic tables, restrooms with showers and a retail store with convenience items.
Juniper Springs
Park with excellent infrastructure, with a place for camping, trails, a convenience store with important items (food (raw), drink and items for diving), barbecue grills, picnic tables, bathrooms with shower.
Ocala National Forest – Florida
Silver Glen Springs
To go to this park, I suggest you go very early, as the parking lot is very small, and people can stay in line for up to 5 hours waiting for a car to leave the parking lot for another to enter.
The park has a volleyball court, barbecue grills and picnic tables, as well as public restrooms (no shower).
Water is exactly like this: blue!
Salt Springs
This park has a little more infrastructure, even a market with diving items and some items to eat, as well as picnic tables, restrooms and barbecue grills.
You can camp on site and take advantage of the trails for a good walk.
Rainbow Springs State Park
This park is amazing! In it you can find waterfalls, you can go hiking, camping, picnic, canoeing and even take a delicious bath in the blue waters.
The park is considered fourth largest spring from Florida.
The bathing area is demarcated for greater safety for bathers.
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
It's more than 450 years of history, built by Spaniards in St. Augustine to defend Florida and the Atlantic trade route. It is considered the oldest masonry fort in the USA.
You will be able to see a cannon and musket demonstrations up close.
Where is the Castillo de San Marcos
It is located on Florida's historic A1A Scenic Coastal Byway.
Below is the map:
Everglades National Park
Get ready for this adventure, as it takes many kilometers to reach the park.
The park is the only subtropical reserve in North America. Its diversity of flora, fauna and wildlife enchants anyone who visits it.
It is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles live side by side.
We made a special article talking all about the Everglades National Park – Florida.
Read too:
10 Theme Parks You Need to Know in Florida